The Elder Scrolls 6: What I Want

Bethesda's latest entry into the Elder Scrolls universe has
been out for a little over a week now. Like most, I've fallen head over heels
in love with this game; the adventure, the story, the shouts, the combat, and
most of all, the leveling system. However, like most, I have also been
extremely frustrated with the many glitches that plague this great game <see
all my thought in my review>. Needless to say, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is far from perfect. Could it be
perfect? Probably not. No game can in my opinion. Can it be a little closer?
Absolutely, and here are a few of my thoughts on how it could take those few
extra steps closer to perfection. Keep in mind that these are not suggestions
on the glitches, since those are unintentional. These are suggestions to
Bethesda on gameplay decisions that may help to add that little extra bit of
fun to an already great game.

Mountains...I want to climb them...

Give Me a Climbing Animation

If you've played Skyrim
for at least an hour, then you've probably had to traverse a mountain or
twelve. If you've played any of the Elder Scrolls titles, then you know that
there is no climbing animation to speak of. What happens when having to get to
the top of a tall piece of landscape is you run your character at a mountain
while jumping repeatedly, hoping to catch some geometry that you can run up. If
you do this in third-person, then you will notice that you are essentially running
awkwardly into the side of a mountain and it looks ridiculous. In games where
mountains have been and will probably continue to play a major part of the
landscape, it would make since for Bethesda to put in some kind of animation
that shows our character climbing ascendable areas of the terrain. Not only
would this help the look and feel of the game, it also might help make the
landscape less of an annoyance to navigate. This could also be helped in other
ways like...

Bring Back Acrobatics
and Athletics

Not really...well not exactly.
Here's what I mean: In Oblivion (and Morrowind) your character would, over
time, run much faster and jump much higher when their Acrobatics and Athletics
skills increased. I don't think I'm the only one who thought that was a very satisfying
feeling to have all of your time and effort rewarded by being able to jump up
onto a rooftop or run through the environment at high speeds. Now I know these
aren't the most practical to have as individual skills, but what if they were
combined into one and simply named Athletics (jumping and acrobatics are, after
all, athletic feats). With the addition of perks, these abilities would have
been all the sweeter to use (and more sensible given the correct perks).
Obviously we don't want the player to have to jump everywhere to level this up
(running would be fine, though, since you do enough of it already). However,
this would be a great skill to have perks like "20/40/60/80% less fall damage,"
"character runs/jumps 20/40/60/80% faster/higher," etc. Hell, Bethesda could
even incorporate a dodge roll into the perks...hey, wait a second...

How About a Dodge
Ability

I realize you can block (most of the time, but that's for
later), but real warriors also could utilize a good dodge here and there,
especially if you were a smaller, more agile fighter who might not have been
able to block a larger opponent effectively. If a player was able to jump back,
to the side, roll out of the way, etc., it would add a whole other dimension to
how one approaches combat. Perhaps, instead of blocking a power hit, we dodge
and attack the now wide open enemy. This could be added in as a perk for
Athletics/Acrobatics. Perhaps jumping back or to the side is already available,
but you can unlock a dodge roll, further jumps, or for the more agile
characters, unlock backflips or sideflips to really make you feel like that
assassin or thief you created. Maybe you there's a perk that lets you do an
attack directly after a dodge for extra damage (kind of like Demon/Dark Souls). Dodging could be one
of the things you carry out in order to level up Athletics. This would be
especially effective for those who can't block anything at all, which brings be
to...

Let the Dual Wielders
Block

So if you have one sword, then you can block. So if I have two swords...then I can...not block? Really?
I think blocking is essential when it comes to combat. If you are a stealthy
fighter who dual wields weapons for that extra speed, then blocking becomes your
life line (along with dodging). You obviously can't charge straight in or your
opponents will rip right through your paper thin armor like nothing (Dragon
Armor notwithstanding). I think a block for people with two weapons would not
only be practical, but would be a breath of fresh air after Skyrim. Just because we want to have two
swords (axes, maces, whatever) doesn't mean we should be penalized. Speaking of
two swords...

Where's my other sword? In that satchel?

Make it Look Like I'm
Carrying Two Weapons

Why, if I'm dual wielding swords, do I just have one sword
on my belt, and why, when I draw my weapons, does it look like I pulled that
other sword out of thin air? These are very reasonable question, right? All I
ask is that if I choose to wield two weapons, then let my character appear to
be carrying two weapons. Put one on
his back, his other hip, hell let him carry it in his other hand all the time.
Just show me that it's there. I chose two weapons for a reason. Again, don't penalize
me for it. Don't penalize me for any way I choose to fight, like...

Unarmed Combat,
Please

In previous Elder Scrolls games Unarmed combat wasn't the
greatest or most polished form of fighting, but that's what sequels are for;
making things better. Instead, Bethesda got rid of any reason to go unarmed in Skyrim. Kajit's have claws for more
powerful unarmed attacks, and there are sections where you have to "brawl" with
an opponent, which is a fist fight between the two of you. However, Bethesda
removed Unarmed as a skill, so with no skill tree or perks, unarmed combat
seems mostly like a waste of time. Why not give it a skill tree that lets you
not only unlock more powerful attacks but a variety of power attacks to learn,
ranging from spinning back fists to special kicks if you level up high enough.
Bethesda could even have perks that unlock the ability to deliver a flurry of
attacks quickly as a power attack, using up more stamina. Combine this with the
athletics suggestion above, and you could create one very cool unarmed ninja.

There you have it folks. I know these aren't big issues, but
they stuck out with me as something that could have been better. Obviously
there are other things to address, and obviously the game is great without
these little extras I've mentions, but we should always be looking for how it
can be better, as well as appreciating how great it is right now, which I do.
What do you think of my picks? Have any ideas of your own? Sound off in the
comments and let me hear what you have to say.